For Excessive Spending, Go Digit Receives a Show-Cause Notice from IRDAI

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

Oct 26, 2024 — 2 min read

Go Digit Receives a Show Cause Notice From IRDAI

On 24 October, Go Digit General Insurance announced that the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had sent it a show-cause notice because its expenses for the six months ended September 2024 were higher than allowed.

According to Go Digit's Q2FY25 financial results notes, the company's insurance-related expenses for the six months ending September 30, 2024, exceeded the IRDAI (Expenses of Management, including Commission of Insurers) Regulations, 2024 restrictions. The insurer further stated that it has requested forbearance for three years starting on April 1, 2023, as allowed under the regulations. IRDAI is presently reviewing the application.

Who is IRDAI?

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 (IRDA Act, 1999) established the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), a legislative agency tasked with overseeing and developing the insurance industry in India.

The Insurance Act of 1938 and the IRDA Act of 1999 both specify the Authority's duties and authority. The main law regulating the insurance industry in India is the Insurance Act of 1938. It gives IRDAI the authority to create regulations that establish the framework for oversight of the organisations involved in the insurance industry. The duties, powers, and functions of the Authority are outlined in Section 14 of the IRDA Act of 1999.

Protection of policyholders' interests, rapid and orderly expansion of the insurance sector, prompt resolution of legitimate claims, an efficient grievance redressal system, encouraging equity, openness, and orderly behaviour in insurance-related financial markets, and prudential regulation while maintaining the insurance market's financial stability are among the main goals of the IRDAI.

Go Digit’s Recent Financial Report Card

In Q2 FY25, premiums for the motor insurance market, which continues to be the biggest contributor to Go Digit's overall business, totalled INR 1,354.21 crore, up 10.22% from INR 1,228.65 crore in Q2 FY24. Nonetheless, the motor segment's underwriting losses increased 17.71% year over year to INR 245.11 crore during the quarter. Relatively smaller markets including fire, marine, health, and crop insurance accounted for the majority of Go Digit's earnings. After losing INR 32.08 crore during the same period last year, corporate group health insurance turned a profit of INR 24.3 crore during the current quarter.

The business did point out that the financial results for the quarter-in-record (QIR) are not necessarily representative of the predicted success for the entire year due to the industry's seasonality. Crop insurance, meanwhile, made INR 13.18 crore in Q2 FY25 compared to INR 2.46 crore in the same period last year.